Canon announces EOS M2 in Japan

Canon has announced the EOS M2 in Japan. An updated version of its EOS M mirrorless camera, the new model promises faster autofocus due to the use of a Hybrid CMOS II sensor, as seen in the EOS 100D / SL1. It also has built-in Wi-Fi and a slightly revised body design. It will be sold either body-only or in kits with one, two, or all three EF-M lenses, and be available in either black or white.

Aside from the sensor and Wi-Fi, the changes compared to the EOS M appear to be very subtle. The mode dial has been redesigned, with a separate position for the P/Av/Tv/M 'Creative' mode group, and the camera is slightly smaller in volume (by 8%). There are a couple of changes to movies - Canon's 3x-10x digital zoom makes a welcome reappearance, and the stereo microphones have moved to the front of the camera. Continuous shooting speed has also slightly increased, to 4.6 fps compared to 4.3 fps.

The EOS M2's built-in Wi-Fi can be used both for image transfer to a smartphone, and for remote control using Canon's free 'EOS Remote' app. The Hybrid CMOS II sensor promises 2.3x faster autofocus, and its phase detection pixels cover a substantially larger area of the frame - approximately 80% overall. This means that the EOS M should offer the same improved autofocus as we noted with the EOS 100D compared to the EOS 700D, although Canon fans will doubtless be disappointed that the EOS 70D's 'Dual Pixel AF' hasn't found it's way to the EOS M line.

Canon has confirmed that the EOS M2 won't be sold in either the European or North American markets.

Comments

Ordinary people who walks in BestBuy to buy a new camera doesn't understand the difference between this junk and the other mirrorless cameras. They just choose CANON brand, so it's completely waisting for Canon to make a competitive camera.

It seems to be a maintanaince release targeted at the Japan home market where M sales isn't nil. Could as well mean Canon is abandoning the EOSM mount. They must have taken notice of the Sony A7 and its larger sensor format.

What's amazing to me is that Canon is so successful with bland cameras, they can iintroduce a new type of camera and system, have it bomb, cut the price by more than half, and still have a business that makes a little money from cameras. And they make most of their stuff in Japan!

Yes, I realize that. But I get called the "F word" (i.e., "fanboy") so frequently in these comments now I try to avoid mentioning my preferred brand at all. It makes it tricky to talk about gear, but the mere mention of that N company seems to upset some users, so I'm trying to erase it from my lexicon.

> What's amazing to me is that Canon is so successful

Look at their system of cameras, their lenses and flashes and you'll understand why they are so successful. Mirrorless fans seem to think ALL users want what they want, but that is not the case. Canon is only interested in a small piece of the mirrorless pie. If they wanted to, they could make miniature C300 style still camera with 15 fps, Dual Pixel AF, 4K RAW video etc. But unlike Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, Fujifilm, et al, Canon absolutely must protect it's bread and butter DSLR lineup, just like that other DSLR company who shall remain nameless. :-)

Yeah that was a little joke. I couldn't care less what names people call me. Everybody is a fan of something. Who would have thought, I'm a fan of the brand camera that I shoot with? How incredibly unusual. lol.

Man, these front page comment sections are about the least pleasant place to be on earth. Everybody has something to say. How about you worry about yourself and your images and less about what I'm up to.

> For someone with so much advice for others not to judge your ways, you (Marike) sure judge a lot yourself.

I don't have any advice for anyone. But when people talk trash, as a New Yorker, it's in my nature to react. And normally I'll be the one defending the gear that's under assault, this EOS M a case in point.

But yes, these front page comments can be unpleasant when brand warriors and cropped format fans come out to talk smack about the latest gear. So much acrimony around here, it gets a bit old, that's all. Canon knows exactly what it's doing.

Don't know anyone who lets gear talk get under their skin, but it is interesting how web interaction is so different from normal interpersonal communication. "Web etiquette" is a misnomer because there is very little that's polite about these boards.

What a disappointment. I was looking forward for this camera but now the fast "Dual Pixel AF" is not integrated I will not buy him. I think I'lm going to buy the Sony RX100 II as my second camera next to my DSLR EOS600D.

Positive although very cautious move from Canon. This seems stop-gap measure at the best. I am still hopeful for a better dual-pixel AF EOS M with EVF emerging early next year.

The camera market seems to be dying from the bottom. Smartphones killed pocket cameras and entry DSLR sales / mirrorless sales are dropping. Growth is in pro / semi-pro segments, therefore the rumors of Canon looking to enter into medium-format.

Nevertheless, as 5DII owner I am looking to buy a second camera. The use case is to travel with two cameras/lenses so no need to change lenses on the road. The other camera should be smaller, i.e MILC. 100D does not cut it. So I am believer in mid-high-end MILC segment, but how well does my personal need correlate with larger market? Anyway there are plenty of interesting opportunities in MILC with new imaging technologies...

I'd really like one of these as a compact carry-around. Luckily they are so unpopular my local shop sells the M1 for less than half its original RRP! In a few weeks I'll get the improved version here for about as much...

They also have a shelf full of XE-1's that no one will want because of the XE-2's sitting next to it. Ditto loads of other makes too...

I'd hate to be a camera shop owner. I don't know whose fault it all is, the manufacturers for selling half baked cameras in the first place or the consumer for always waiting for a bit because they know it will need firmware updates and the price will go down almost immediately.

If this comes in at or under the $800US price of the original, people will be waiting in lines to get it! Ken Rockwell said the EOS M is the first serious mirrorless and as usual, he was right on the money. This can only be better.

Ken Rockwell's review of the EOS M makes my brain hurt. One minute he says "its color rendition for photos of things is far superior to anything from LEICA," and the next minute he says "I love the colors I get from Canon right out of the camera as JPGs. "

Shooting in JPEG is reason enough for me to ignore you as a reviewer, let alone when you're saying it's better than Leica.

Well, I have one of those and it seems that either I'm a superman or someone was wrong. I'm shooting people, my ever-moving baby, my GF and my family and have a good portion of keepers in my stock. So now I will take the cam to a sports event! It's better to TRY before you BUY :)

This is my go everywhere camera with the 22mm, and my super compact lightweight backup/ b-cam that's always in my bag. I have an LCD magnifier on the back and throw on my 135/2L for a super fast tele while I have the 24-70 on my 5Dii. Perfect combo.

The M finally found its target price after several reductions. It should sell for about $400 with a kit lens. Maybe the M2 could bring $500. That's a bargain for great IQ if you can forego the bells a whistles. I just wonder how they managed to put wifi in it and get anywhere near decent battery life.

I got a M last week (big discounts) and my wife owns a nex F3. Had time enough to compare them. I prefer handling the M but the sensor of the nex is just better in noise / DR. The DXOmark results shows it. The quality of the Canon 22mm makes up for it. In raw I actually don't see much color differences.

Who is waiting for this? After being compromised with the EOS M now a second attempt to push this silly concept in the market but still without viewfinder. Canon, do you really think you can save your DSLR-market by NOT making a serious, credible Mirror-less camera range? By just offering a toy that maybe the full equipped Canon DSLR-user will pick up to play with, on a hot summer trip? Soon there will be only Sony's, Fujifilm X's, Olympus and even others to conquer your realm.

> Soon there will be only Sony's, Fujifilm X's, Olympus and even others to conquer your realm.

Don't know what it's like where you live. Here in the US if you look at Amazon's Top Cameras you won't find a single CSC in the Top 100 Best Sellers. Not one. Lots of Canikon cameras, not a single MILC. So it's doubtful anyone is conquering anything.

There is almost zero mindshare among professionals,the amateur space is dominated by DSLRs, and it would appear some mirrorless vendors are struggling to survive.

LOL Canon's DSLRs are one of the few types cameras still making a profit. In fact Canon and Nikon are pretty much the only camera companies who are truing a profit selling cameras period. The only thing that needs saving is all these companies hemorrhaging money making mirrorless cameras that don't turn a profit at all. If anything it is the number of mirroless offerings is going to be shirking substantially, probably sooner than later. A business can only lose money on a product for so long before they have to just end production and cut their losses. Why would Canon bother investing much money, time, or effort into a market that isn't profitable? The answer is they wouldn't and that is why the EOS M is what it is.

The GM 1 is a great example of popular features being sacrificed for maximum miniaturization, producing a system camera that can compete with the portability and convenience of a phone. (No mean feat.) Result: the GM1 has a fairly clear-cut niche as a social and street cam.

This Canon on the other hand is considerably larger and appears to be catering to no one in particular, except perhaps ultra-loyal Canon shooters looking for a compact second system.

If the goal is actually to attract new customers to the Canon world, it seems to me Canon would have been wiser to match or beat its competitors feature-for-feature, and that means a viewfinder is a significant omission for *this* camera even if certain other cameras are completely fine and serious without one.

The Nikon 1 camera were the first MILC, AFAIK to have PDAF and it's likely still one of the best around for AF tracking. Robust predictive AF algorithms are one of Nikon's strengths. For video AF, the Dual Pixel system does work well from what I've seen. Canon wasn't about to put that system in this camera. It would have been bad business.

So let me get this straight . . . the "improvement" is Canon simply made the auto focus finally work? That's the improvement? I have been a loyal Canon fan for decades but the once mighty Canon indeed is slipping. Sony, and others, are making Canon look stupid now. Actually, Canon is making itself look foolish.

People seem to forget that m43 took about 3-4 generations before focusing was remotely acceptable. Image quality was in compact territory before Sony came along and saved the format with its sensor. Even then, m43 has never made a profit for either Pana or Oly.. they are never going to recoup their RD.. so, how successful are they exactly?

My point exactly. At least Sony, Olympus and Panny have "tried" to improve this format (with some success). However, Canon seems to be totally making a joke of it all. Canon has done exactly ZERO to enhance or develop this platform and they should be ashamed.

Why should Canon worry about the "small at all costs" crowd when they are outselling other vendors with their DSLR lineup, one of the two most complete SLR systems ever created?

Because you want Canon to enter the niche enthusiast MILC space doesn't mean Canon is "slipping". A camera like the A7/A7r might interest a few mirrorless fans and tech industry types, but it likely won't even be speed bump in Canon's road to market dominance. Camera systems have always been about the complete system of bodies, lenses, flashes and accessories, and in this area Canon has only Nikon as its rival.

Sony inherited the excellent Minolta mount and lenses, finally made a pretty nice FF with A900, and then they started putting EVF into all cameras causing many to completely loose interest in the Alpha line.

In video, Canon actually shipped a 4K camera, the C500 before Sony was able to ship its 4K camera the F55. So nobody is making Canon look foolish, that could be in your head. :-)

What a huge yawn this thing is. Keep it out of the U.S. There comes a point where making the body smaller and smaller becomes counter productive. Anything but just about the smallest lens on this thing makes it unwieldy. From a size perspective, cameras are like keyboards in that you can only make them so small and if you keep on shrinking them they become a nuisance to use. This EOS M series is a solution in search of a problem.

"An updated version of its EOS M mirrorless camera, the new model promises faster autofocus" Well it could not be any slower than the previous one HAHAHA.It had CONTRAST focusing, It did NOT even manage to focus on an object that was in BLACK AND WHITE. It could NOT detect the CONTRAST between black & white, the MOST contrasty things EEEEEEEEEEEVER!

Canon be THANKFUL I am returning to your brand, it will be the 6D NOT the m2

I do graphic design, take photos for our brochures, and edit them and I can say this little camera takes great photos. I mainly bought it because I got tired of hauling my T2i and its lenses around in a 12 lb. camera backpack. I wanted something lightweight I could take with me anywhere, and remain in the Canon ecosystem.

In a small 4.5”x5.5”x8.5” bag I can take this camera, 2 lenses, a Perfect Hood Eye viewfinder, a compact Manfrotto Pixi Mini tripod, a lens hood, 2 extra batteries, battery charger, additional SD cards, lens wipe, strap, and rain cover and it weighs less than 2 lbs.

For the street price I don’t think there is a better camera out there that takes better photos with the same versatility.

I think the M2 updates are notable, but I can agree that there is room for an M-Pro with built-in flash, view finder, and updated sensor.

Because of the size and the sizes of the lenses. I already have a T2i, which is compact enough in a "full-size" DSLR, but then hauling the lenses around adds bulk and weight. The EOS-M lenses take great images/video and are compact and lightweight.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by limiting the options. The EOS-M can do almost everything my T2i can, other than run Magic Lantern (as well). I can plug in an external mic, use Canon ASP-C designed lenses, and standard Canon flashes on the EOS-M body.

Ah, ok. yes, that is true. In digital cameras I've owned many brands including Agfa, Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, Nikon, and Canon. When I decided to dive into the realm of interchangeable lenses, I looked at Nikon and Canon. At the time Canon had the best to offer in my price range (Rebel XTi) and so I started in the Canon ecosystem. Iv'e since invested hundreds in lenses and accessories and don't have that same money to invest in a different brand. With that, the EOS-M works very well. Is it the perfect end-all camera? No, not at all, but for $300, it's a great deal.

I enjoy my 60D and EOS M, but with each passing lame announcement from Canon, I wonder if they are the last Canon cameras I'll own. It seems like Canon is stuck in 2009-10 with no apparent desire to move forward.

I owned the EOS-M before but was very disappointed and sold it. Even with faster focus, I think this comes a little too late! With so many mirrorless on the market, Canon is way behind, if Canon thinks that they can protect their DSLR market by making an inferior product, think twice!

EF-M 22/2 is about 0.5 stops slower than Sony 24/1.8 but otherwise on par or better performance in a much more compact body. EF-M 11-22 is a bit slower than the very good EF-S 10-22 but it looks better to my eyes. EF-M 18-55 is the best kit zoom that I have ever seen, only equaled by the EF-S version.

same can be said for 5D3, which is not so good compared with D800/D600 but a great many of people choose 5D3 for they want to use superior Canon lenses (though some new Nikon ones are also quite good).

"Canon 5DIII not so good compared with D800/D600"... Stop using amphetamines, please - these things are very bad for your health. I apologize for being brutal, but I hoped that this stupidity (or nonsense) went away. As a Canon user, my 5DIII with my 24-70 & 70-200, both Mk 2 versions, gave my Nikon friends headaches. And I will say again: MY FRIENDS! Yes, many of them have Nikons, and I respect them a lot for their photographic skills and beautiful results. I also experience headaches because 36 MPs would be very useful for my MP-E 65 macro lens... Bottom line: please stop the nonsense, the "not quite good compared with" part. Cheers! :)

Why can't camera manufacturers get it right first time by putting out a camera that actually works, instead of fleecing photographers again with an "updated" model that merely corrects a flaw in the original?

Because people buy just about anything if it has “Canon” written on it (or a couple of other major brands, but Canon is the most-trusted camera brand in 10 of 12 European countries according to a large Reader’s Digest survey, so this effect is strongest with Canon).

With these obviously flawed mirrorless cameras, it pays to wait even if you want the camera. The price of the original EOS M halved in roughly six months. Similar things happened to the Nikon 1 System cameras and some Micro Four Thirds cameras so boring I forget their model names (of course Micro Four Thirds also includes some very good cameras that I wish would collapse in price!).

it wont sell outside because america's always complaining about something.no matter what camera is made, there will be a group of trolls *itching about this and that.Japanese people dont *itch like americans, and i dont blame them for keeping it only in japan.

No Europe and US release tells me that Canon is not really seriously invested in mirrorless - at least not this system. No mention of a 55-250 lens either which if you look at other camera makers mirrorless systems, they pretty much all had one (or something similar) within a year after releasing their first mirrorless.

But they shot themselves in the foot by putting such a lousy AF system in the 1st gen EOS M, just like they did with the G1X. The EOS M is still a good camera, don't get me wrong, but why they chose to hobble the AF system like they did is a mystery to me.

Full frame sensor in this size body, please. And I will be first in the queue waiting that really powered Canon.In case smartphones can be featured by about 1/3" sensors, so why not to design FF in that mirrorless and 3x4cm in DSLR as compact as 5D. Sure that optically it's possible.And for me, sensivity is not main issue of small sensors.

A Canon engineer was asked this question in an interview, and he replied that forcing a full sized sensor into an EF-M mount would be "impossible--well, it might work if you really tried, but you'd have to deal with serious vignetting." So optically it appears rather difficult....

Yes, yes, yes. I will not be interested in ever owning another camera without a viewfinder, whether built-in or mounted on the hotshoe. My Canon S95 is in retirement because of the Panasonic LF1 pocket camera with built-in (however small) EVF.

Wow,, underwhelming. As someone who briefly owned the original M,, it's gonna take more than quicker AF to get me to jump back in.

The blurb from DP mentions that the AF is gonna be 2.3x quicker,,, does that mean 2.3x quicker than the M1 at launch? or 2.3x quicker than the M1 after their big firmware release?

I really wanted to like this camera,, the M1 felt great in the hand,, but I just couldn't get my head around not having a viewfinder,,, and the AI Servo mode was comical ,,, and the images were a bit flat,,, and etc. Stick with my NEX I guess.

Keeps the model alive, keeps the lenses in production and provides Canon with options going forward. Trial separation versus divorce. The hardware advances are welcome, but would have liked to have seen interface improvements (of which many are needed) and at least one new lens.

EOS M sells well in Japan, not for performance but cost performance, that for less than 450 US one gets body with two lenses 22/2 and 18-55, 90EX flash, and EF-EOS M adapter. total five pieces, 90 dollars per piece.

No surprises here. Canon is wisely selling the camera in Japan and Asia only, since those are the only places where mirrorless compact system cameras have had any kind of sales success. Unlike the competition, Canon doesn't have to throw money and resources away panning for gold in an unproven and unreliable revenue stream. If the EOS M cameras ever turn a significant profit for the company, then there will be incentive for major development of that system. Until then, it's just makes sense to stick with what works for the overwhelming majority of camera buyers on the planet, and that's DSLRs.

Yep. And everybody fails to mention that while Canon is "doing nothing" they've updated like half a dozen lenses in the last year or two and developed new tech like we've seen on the 70D.

I'll agree that their sensor tech needs an upgrade, but if anybody thinks they don't have something in the pipeline in that regard they're dreaming. They've still got the best system out there, soup to nuts.

In fact, while the European market has lost about 41% of sales, the same market in Japan has increased by 6% with SLRs which grew by 37%, the compact system by 21% while those with fixed optics lose 23%. It should be noted that the percentage of CSC on reflex decreased to 37% compared to 40% last year. In Europe, however, the reflex lose 21%, but a more dangerous CSC fall 30%.

@ Thorgrem,Thanks for recognizing that it would take a substantial lose of sales to mirrorless compact system cameras to get Canon to divert substantial resources away from it's highly profitable DSLRs in order to be a major player in the mirrorless CSC arena. If those kinds of sales ever happen, then I'm certain that Canon will be able to meet that challenge successfully. Until then, why would they even bother?

" If those kinds of sales ever happen, then I'm certain that Canon will be able to meet that challenge successfully. Until then, why would they even bother?"

By that logic, why even bother launching a CSC at all? As a non-Canon customer, I've been sent the message that this company is willing to put out a half-hearted effort just to have a token entry in a segment that's currently marginal in several key markets.

What if a serious market leader would instead send the message that it sees real potential for this segment, and is going to make an effort to dominate it like it dominates other segments?

And that lack of success outside Asia: doesn't that represent an opportunity? It means huge markets are virtually untapped, and there's a chance to close the technology gap caused by delaying entry.

Instead, it's almost as if Canon wants to say "See? We told you mirrorless sucks!"

Canon lovers keep saying that Mirrorless isn't successful outside Asia. The fact is that Olympus, Fuji, Panasonic and Sony have gained marketshare all over the world. Never before in the digital age there marketshare for system camera's so big.

I seen that the M2 was announced and I thought, finally, Canon it going to raise some hell. Then I opened the page.If they put forth even a little bit of effort, they would have a great mirrorless.

70D's af, BUT further improved upon.16x9 the screen, keep it touch(the original m's touch screen is really really great.)Have it focus down to -3evAdd a EVF in the corner, 1/2 inch in size(em1 type). 60-80fps at all points in time.Add a front dail.